


Things As They Should Have Been

by Emrys_Fae



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (Satine), Dark, Dark!Cody, Jealousy, Minor Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Possessive Behavior, Sith magic, Soulmate AU, Soulmates don't always match, implied Anakin/Padme, implied canonical character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emrys_Fae/pseuds/Emrys_Fae
Summary: "I'm sorry I'm not your soulmate, that I can't give you what you want." The General sounded so painfully sincere, and it cracked at Cody. He'd come into this situation knowing that his General was a Jedi and there was little to no chance that Cody could actually have something with him. But that wasn't even true."It's fine, sir. I just wanted you to know; I had no expectations, no demands."Somehow, this hurt even worse, knowing that Jedi could have a relationship with their soulmate, but that while the General was his soulmate, he was not the General's.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 37
Kudos: 402





	Things As They Should Have Been

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mneiai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mneiai/gifts).



> I present to you my bribe!

Cody took a deep breath, steadying himself before knocking on the door to the General's quarters.

The door slid open almost immediately, as though the General had been waiting for him, Cody wondered if this was a sign of the "˜Force Tricks' they'd been told about, back on Kamino. Or if perhaps General Kenobi had been hoping that Cody would come. As eager as Cody to discuss their meeting.

The General smiled at him, and Cody felt his heart stutter at the sight, stepping back and waving his hand to beckon Cody inside.

"Commander Cody." For a second time, Cody found himself reveling in the soft, lilting tones of the General—his _soulmate_ —as the man said his name. "Come in, come in."

Cody stepped inside, trying not to notice how narrow the doorway was and the fact that Cody's arm brushed against the General. He wished, for a moment, that he wasn't wearing his armor, that he could have felt the touch on his skin.

The door shut behind him, and his General moved past him to take a seat at the desk that took up most of the small space, nodding to a second chair in clear invitation.

Cody hesitated a moment longer, this felt like such an important conversation, and he wanted to treat it with the proper level of seriousness and decorum. Still, being comfortable surely wouldn't hurt.

"Now, is there anything I can do for you, Commander?" General Kenobi was still smiling at him, and Cody found that faced with that soft expression his mind was struggling to remember just how he'd planned to start this conversation.

"Ah, yes. Sir. That is—" he took another deep breath. "Sir, I believe we're soulmates." The General froze, mouth falling open just a little bit in surprise. Cody rushed on, he'd thought Obi-Wan knew, how could he _not_ know. He rushed to explain. "My mark changed when we met, and I _felt_ you. I know that you're a Jedi, and that attachments aren't allowed. I would never ask for anything from you, but I—"

The General held up a hand, and Cody found his words catching in his throat. "Commander, I—" His General sighed, and the look he gave Cody was soft and tender. Cody knew, without a doubt, that his General was about to break his heart. "Cody, let me stop you there. Jedi are _allowed_ a relation with their soulmates, but Cody, I'm not your soulmate." It felt like there was no air in the room. "I'm sorry, Cody."

Cody felt his heart plummet. He'd known it was possible, that some people had unrequited soulmates, but he hadn't"¦ he hadn't wanted to imagine that he'd be one of them. He'd wanted to believe that there was someone out there who would want _him_. It had been a stupid, foolish, idiotic dream. "Sir—"

"Did you meet anyone else at the same time you met me, Commander? Perhaps your soulmate was—"

"No. I'd met them all before." The words came out strained, Cody pulling desperately at his professionalism. He should never have said anything, should never have said a word. He was such a fool. He jerked to his feet, the chair scraping against the floor. "I apologize, sir. I should never have presumed."

The General stood as well. "Cody, wait a moment, please."

Cody didn't want to wait, he wanted to get out of here to nurse his broken heart. But it was his General asking.

His General seemed to be dithering, as though trying to decide how to act. Cody wished that he wouldn't, Cody didn't need his heart to break any further than it already had; he just needed to lick his wounds in peace.

"I'm sorry, that I'm not your soulmate, that I can't give you what you want." The General sounded so painfully sincere, and it cracked at Cody. He'd come into this situation knowing that his General was a Jedi and there was little to no chance that Cody could actually _have_ something with him.

"It's fine, sir. I just wanted you to know, I had no expectations, no demands."

Somehow, this hurt even worse, knowing that Jedi _could_ have a relationship with their soulmate, but that while the General was _his_ soulmate, he was not the General's.

It wasn't even that he loved the General. He'd just met the man.

It was not the loss of the General that he was mourning, but the loss of the dream.

"I hope we can be friends. Or if not, that we can still work together. But if you'd prefer, I can get you transferred to another General."

Cody swallowed hard. His soulmate wasn't his soulmate and now he was trying to get rid of him. "I think I'd like to try for friends, if that's all right, sir."

"Of course."

They both stood, the tension between them awkward and uneasy. General Kenobi opened his mouth, before shutting it again, looking not at all like the composed and in control General that Cody had first seen. "To preface this, you _can_ say no. But may I see your mark?"

Cody froze, mind screeching to a halt. "I... yes. Yes, I'll show you." He hesitated, not wanting to push past what was appropriate, but then he'd already humiliated himself once. "Will you touch it, please?"

His General seemed taken aback by that, as though he didn't understand why Cody would want that.

It wouldn't be the same as mark touching mark— _kriff_ it, he'd never have a chance to even feel that—but surely he'd be able to feel _something_ , with his General's fingers on his skin, touching his mark.

"Cody, I—"

"Please, sir. I won't ask again, I just want to know what it'd feel like." Some masochistic desire to know what he'd be missing.

His General nodded. "All right, if that's what you want."

Cody wasn't sure if he was grateful or not, for the easy placement of his soulmark, as he removed his armored gloves. He held out his left hand, showing his General the image of a lightsaber crossed over a helmet, a symbol that Cody had treasured for years. The mono-chrome gray it had been all Cody's life had been replaced with the stormy blue of General Kenobi's eyes.

He watched as his General took in the symbols, before brushing a finger gently over the palm of Cody's skin. It was like electricity, running through his veins, making him feel warm, alive, _real_. He couldn't stop the gasp of air from escaping, regretting it immediately when General Kenobi quickly withdrew his hand.

"I apologize."

"No," Cody hurried to assure him. "That was what I wanted."

He could still feel the after effects of lightning through his blood, he _ached_ for more. But it was something he'd never get again.

-_-

"Take off! Take off!"

Cody swore quietly, grasping the General's arm and shoving him into a seat as the shuttle lifted up, taking them out of the overrun battle zone. "What the kriff was that General?"

His General looked up at him, wiping the blood trickling into his eyes away. "What was what?"

"You almost got yourself _killed_ with that stunt you just pulled."

The General blinked at him, clearly at a loss. "Razor squad was going to get taken out if I didn't do something."

Cody stared at the General, trying to figure out how to explain that the General wasn't allowed to get himself killed for them. That, in this war, a single Jedi's life was worth far more than that of a group of clones. "Sir—"

The General met his eyes, gaze as fierce as any Kaminoan storm. "I respect your opinion and your expertise, Commander. But in this, Cody, I won't bend. I _will_ protect our men as well as I can, my own safety be damned."

The General was wrong, but Cody didn't know how to tell him that.

He could feel tingles of electricity along his palm. He clenched his fist, and tried to pretend he didn't know what that meant.

-_-

There were many things that Cody wished he hadn't learned since leaving Kamino.

What natborns thought of him and his vod'e. How it felt to hold a brother while he died. The sensation of glass piercing his skin. The feel of blood in his eyes, blinding him.

Added to that list, was a far more pleasant, but still unwanted sensation of learning how it felt to see his General, sleepy-eyed and hair-mussed.

"Commander." His General rubbed at his eye, staring around the small room with faint surprise as though he had no clue how he'd gotten here. "I apologize, I appear to have lost track of time."

Cody shifted his hands behind his back, mentally berating himself for the way he wanted to run his fingers through his General's hair, whether to neaten it or mess it up further he wasn't quite sure.

Maybe both.

"You fell asleep, sir. Doing paperwork."

His General groaned, stretching a little, Cody could hear the soft pops of his spine stretching. "I'm getting too old for this."

Cody figured it would be inappropriate to mention that his General still seemed plenty fit. "You may have fewer problems if you shared the paperwork load a little and used an actual bunk instead of a sleeping over a table."

His General laughed. "You may have a point."

-_-

"I wanted to apologize for bringing you on this mission, Commander." Cody stiffened at the words, wondering if it was his General's way of censuring him for his feelings of distaste towards the Duchess. "I should have considered that it might make you uncomfortable."

The look General Kenobi gave him was an apologetic one, eyes wide and sincere, no apparent condemnation.

He wasn't even wrong in his appraisal of Cody's feelings. There was some part of him that had hated seeing the General with the woman who carried his matching soulmark.

"She _endangered_ you."

His General rolled his eyes. "Satine had no more control over that situation than you or I did, Cody. She's hardly at fault."

She was though, and Cody didn't know why his General didn't see it. She'd almost gotten the General killed. The General had hesitated to protect himself, so concerned about keeping _her_ good opinion.

She didn't deserve his General, and Cody found himself hating her a little bit for being the one who got to have him.

-_-

"It's okay, Cody. Just breathe."

There was nothing that would stop Cody from obeying his General, not even the aching pain in his chest that made even the thought of breathing hurt. He forced himself to suck in air, the pain _arching_ through him.

"The medics will be here soon, Cody. Breathe for me."

Cody wasn't sure he'd still be around by the time the medic showed up, but he followed the General's order, pulling in another painful breath.

He could hear his General cursing quietly, felt his General grasp his hand.

Air brushed against his skin, and it took Cody a moment to realize that his General had removed Cody's gloves.

"Hold on for me, Cody." There was the sensation of warm skin brushing against his palm, just as warm as his General's voice. "Don't leave me."

His General. His soulmate.

And he'd given Cody an order, and Cody was very good at obeying orders.

Electricity ran up his arm, the warmth pushing back against the cold that was threatening to drown him in darkness.

He could do anything, hold on past everything, if it meant that he got to have his General.

-_-

"Sometimes I think he could love me." The confession—and it really did feel like a confession, like something Cody wasn't supposed to say out loud—came out a little slurred. Cody had clearly had too much to drink; he should know better than to let Fox ply him with drink, his vod was _absolutely_ the sort to get Cody drunk so that he could dangle his drunken confessions over his head later on.

"Your General?" Fox sounded _almost_ sympathetic, but that was probably a fluke of _Fox_ having drunk a little too much himself. He'd never make such a mistake as displaying empathy while sober.

"I'd be good to him," Cody continued. "I'd be so good to him. I wouldn't degrade him and pretend it was banter, or endanger him, or hurt him."

"You know," Fox gave him a condescending-feeling pat, "you can _make_ someone your soulmate."

Cody made a face at that, Fox clearly had drunk _way_ too much, if he was spouting nonsense like that. "You're drunk."

" _No._ " Fox swayed a little with the vehemence he'd said it. "Well, yes. But _listen_ , I heard the Chancellor talking to Skywalker about it when Skywalker was bemoaning the ‘love of his life’.”

Cody rolled his eyes at that. Between Rex and General Kenobi he knew far more about Skywalker's love life—or lack thereof—than he really wanted to.

He should probably feel more empathy for the Jedi, since his position was similar to Cody's own. Madly in love with his soulmate—in Skywalker's case Senator Amidala—who happened to have their _own_ soulmate. But unfortunately, Cody didn't have enough empathy to spare for a Jedi that caused his own General so much additional stress.

"So how did the Chancellor say Skywalker could make someone his soulmate?"

Fox shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like he went into details. But apparently, it's not a power that a Jedi has."

Well, _that_ was less than helpful.

-_-

"He'll be alright, Commander."

Cody nodded, but didn't move. He trusted Coarse entirely, but still, he found it was still nearly impossible to move away from the bed that held the unconscious General.

Coarse sighed, resting a hand on Cody's shoulder, squeezing briefly. "Ten minutes, Commander, and then I'm kicking you out."

Cody heard him leave, moving onto another of his patients.

He moved closer to the General, gripping his hand tightly in his own. "You're going to wake up, General. You're not allowed to leave me."

The bruises and lacerations lined his General's skin, now covered by a thick layer of bacta.

But Cody found his eyes drifting past those injuries to the mark prominent on his General's chest. The same saber that was on Cody's palm, but intertwined with Mandalorian flowers instead of Cody's helmet.

The Duchess.

Without his permission, his fingers moved, tracing it. There was no warmth, not like when his General touched Cody's mark.

He pulled his hand away.

It should have been his mark.

-_-

Sometimes, late at night, he remembered what Fox had said that night in 79's. About what the Chancellor had told Skywalker: that Soulmates could be made.

That the General, that _Obi-Wan,_ could be his.

It made no sense. That simply wasn't _possible_.

But the words still echoed in his mind, over and over, as he wondered what that could possibly mean. Wondered _how_ it could be done.

Not a power the Jedi had, or so Fox had said the Chancellor had claimed.

So if not the Jedi, then who?

And what was the cost?

-_-

He brushed his fingers over the symbol, over and over. _Dead, dead, dead_. And all Cody had left of him was a mark that his General hadn't even shared with him. A love that his General had never been able to return.

It wouldn't be long until the storm-blue faded from the mark, and then Cody wouldn't even have that.

-_-

"Commander, I wanted to apologize."

Cody looked up, taking in his General's appearance. His hair and beard were still growing back, making him look strangely young. "It's fine, sir. I understand. It was standard OP SEC."

Obi-Wan looked faintly relieved, Cody didn't blame him. He'd heard some of the things that his _duchess_ had said, had heard the things that General Skywalker had screamed at him. 

Cody was hurting too, but he wouldn’t be like _them_. Those who’d lash out and hurt his General.

"Yes, it was. And while I don't regret what happened, I still recognize that it hurt you." His General hesitated. "Rex told me he was very worried about you."

Rex really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Still, if his General was feeling guilty… Cody shoved the thought down, it was _completely_ inappropriate to want to take advantage of his General’s emotions.

"I'm fine sir."

His General smiled at him. "Let me know if there's anything you need."

Cody swallowed, _he shouldn't_. His General gave him a final smile, already turning away. _He shouldn't_. "Actually, there is one thing, sir."

General Kenobi paused, turning back. "Yes?"

Cody held out his hand, palm up, feeling unreasonably anxious. "I just… I thought you were dead. I—"

Understanding filled Kenobi's eyes, and he gently reached forward, fingers brushing against Cody's skin. The first time this had happened it had been there and gone, too short for Cody to really appreciate. The second, Cody had been close to unconscious, the touch his General's attempt to keep him anchored. This time Cody was completely awake and aware, and knew what was about to happen.

He closed his eyes, reveling in the sensation of his General's skin against his own, the warmth of electricity running through his veins, the _need_ and _want_ for his General.

That was the other difference, he thought, between this time and the first time.

Then he'd just wanted a soulmate, now, two years later, he wanted _his General_. He wanted Obi-Wan.

"I'm here, Cody. I'm still alive."

Cody forced his eyes open, taking in the soft look in his General's eyes, the look that sometimes made Cody feel like he wasn't the only one who _wanted_. "Thank you, sir."

General Kenobi stepped back, sometimes it felt like he was _always_ stepping back.

Cody hated it.

-_-

Cody and his General had been through Hell together before, but he had never seen his General this distressed before.

Cody sat next to him, gently pushing a tray of food in front of him.

His General tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt. "Eat, General."

The General picked at the food, but it was clear his heart wasn't in it. Clear that there was something bothering him.

"Tell me, General," Cody requested quietly. "Please."

His General met his eyes, a deep pain lurking just below the surface. "I killed him. I was just a Padawan and he'd murdered my Master, and if he got past me he was going to go after the Queen, would help keep an entire planet under the heel of the Trade Federation." His General was shaking. "He haunted my nightmares for months, and I told myself that he was gone. That he would never harm me, my loved ones, or any innocents again."

"But he's back," Cody said quietly, brushing his shoulder against that of his General's. "And he tried to kill you."

"Yes." Obi-Wan let out a quiet scoff. "My own personal Sith Nightmare."

-_-

"Did you hear?" Rex asked, two weeks into a shared mission.

"Did I hear what?" Cody asked.

Rex was quiet for a long minute, and Cody waited patiently. "General Skywalker and Senator Amidala are... well, they're _together_."

Cody frowned, mind flashing back to what Fox had said he'd overheard between Chancellor and Skywalker. "Doesn't she have a soulmate?"

"She did. But the woman was killed, Separatist Assassin."

Cody observed Rex, who was clearly disturbed by something.

"Well, Skywalker might not have been her soulmate, but she was his. Perhaps she just thought he would be a comfort."

Rex shrugged. "I just... I don't know. She didn't seem very interested in the General is all. And it's just seems very sudden." Rex shook his head. "I don't know. It's a silly thought. I mean, if the Duchess died and General Kenobi turned to you for comfort, that's one thing. Everyone knows that there's _something_ between the two of you." Cody flushed. "But the two of them, they're not like you and the General."

"I'm sure it's fine."

He wasn't actually.

But he had bigger concerns, like the whisper of an idea that lurked just beneath the surface.

_No. He shouldn't._

-_-

"Cody, I've received an emergency call. I'm diverting to Mandalore."

Cody felt a flash of rage, _the duchess, again_ , but pushed it aside, focusing on the holo. "What's the situation, General."

"Maul is there."

Cody froze. "Sir, it's a trap. It has to be. You shouldn't be going alone."

The holo of the General shook his head. "I have no choice, Mandalore is not part of the Republic. I'm going as a personal citizen."

Cody frowned, here the duchess was endangering the General again. But before he could say anything the General had ended the call.

"What's wrong?" Boil asked, stepping beside him.

"The General's about to walk straight into trouble."

Boil let out a sigh. "So nothing new. What are we going to do about it?"

Cody considered it a moment, they were closer to Mandalore than the General. "Get Ghost Squad together, we're going to Mandalore."

-_-

"We've got the big one, Commander." Boil's voice crackled over the comm.

Cody felt himself smile. "Good." The throne room was empty, and Cody felt his feet wandering towards the throne where _she_ sat.

He wondered if Maul was planning on destroying it or if he merely planned to take it for himself. Cody could understand both impulses.

Could understand wanting to destroy anything Kryze had ever touched, and wanting to take everything she'd ever had and making it his own.

The sound of metal against stone echoed through the room, and Cody turned. "Maul."

The Sith tilted his head. "The Clone that follows in Kenobi's shadow everywhere he goes."

An accurate enough assessment, Cody acknowledged. "Yet, the General isn't here." Not yet at least.

"Your corpse will be such a lovely welcome present."

Cody didn't move, even as the Sith lit his saber. "You kill me and my men will kill your brother."

Maul paused, and Cody let out a breath of relief. It had been quite the gamble, hoping Maul actually cared about his brother enough to stay his hand, at least temporarily.

"You're not here to kill me," Maul noted, sounding confused if delighted.

"You want to break my General." Cody smiled, already imagining what it would be like to murder this filth. "I'm here to make a deal."

-_-

"Cody?" The General sounded confused, and Cody hated doing this to him. But he had to protect his General, and his General would never be safe if he kept letting himself be endangered by a woman who wouldn't even fight for herself.

"I'm sorry sir, but it has to be done."

His General's gaze shifted from Cody to Maul to where Satine was kneeling beside him. "Let her go, Maul."

Maul ignored him, sauntering forward with a strange, lopsided grace. "Your men have my brother, Kenobi. I'm afraid they didn't add the Duchess' survival to the deal to get him back. In fact, quite the opposite."

His General's eyes narrowed, and Cody could see his thoughts racing. He met his General's eyes, and saw the moment his General started to understand. "Cody, Cody, what did you do?"

"I'm protecting you, General."

"Cody, please—" It hurt Cody to ignore his General, to participate in any way in hurting him. But it was like setting a broken bone. Sometimes it needed to hurt before it could heal.

"I'm going to take her from you, in _every_ possible way," Maul whispered, and Cody could hear the delight in his voice.

Cody wasn't a fan of the fact that he was giving Maul even a _moment_ of satisfaction. The man had hurt his General, didn't _deserve_ any satisfaction.

But it would be worth it.

Maul found the clasp on General Kenobi's stolen armor, letting the chest plate fall away, ripping away the shirt.

His General's soulmark stood out against his skin, just over his heart, saber and Mandalorian flower.

Maul let out a soft laugh, the sound chilling. "So this is what broke your poor Commander's heart."

"Cody—" His General wasn't even looking at Maul. "Please, Cody, you don't have to do this."

"Except I do, General." He had to get rid of anything that endangered his General, anything that hurt him.

Maul hissed, clearly displeased with being ignored. "I was just going to kill her, it was your Commander who suggested I rip her from her first." Maul's hand came up, fingernails digging into his General's chest, surrounding the soulmark.

Cody clenched his fist, all his instincts screaming at him to get rid of anything hurting his soulmate.

He could see his General gritting his teeth, face twisted in pain.

A _scream_ erupted, echoing through the room, and Cody turned his head to see the Duchess collapse to the floor, writhing and screaming.

His General jerked towards her, but Maul pushed him back. Cody kept his eyes on the soulmark, it seemed to be twisting on Obi-Wan's skin, the color fading in and out.

The Duchess kept screaming.

Cody felt it the _moment_ his own mark started overcoming the Duchess' claim on Obi-Wan, could feel the warmth and connection, the electricity he'd only ever felt when the General was touching his mark.

Obi-Wan let out a quiet groan of pain, and Cody moved instinctively forward, but stopped himself. No, no, this had to be finished.

The Duchess' screams died away.

Maul let out a hissed noise, stumbling back. Cody's General slumped forward.

Cody jerked towards him, catching his General before he could fall. "I'm here, I'm here, General."

"Cody, _Cody_ , what did you _do?_ "

Cody eased his General to the ground, eyes going to his General's chest, but there was no mark there.

His General was trying to push away from him, and Cody caught his hand, bringing it down to his General's side. "It's okay, it's okay."

"No, Cody."

_There_. Cody caught sight of their mark, lightsaber and helmet, the symbol a stark monochrome alongside his General's neck.

He pulled out his comm, putting in Boil's code. "Boil, take care of things."

A moment later Maul was letting out a pained gasp, Cody turned reaching for his blaster. Reeling from the death of his brother and the exertion of removing a soulmark, the Sith was easy prey.

He turned back to his General, who was trying to drag himself towards where the Duchess was sprawled on the ground.

Cody halted his movements, pulling his General back towards him.

His General was looking up at him, the betrayal stark in his eyes.

"It had to be done," Cody assured him quietly. "Don't worry, it'll all make sense in a moment."

Or at least he hoped, if Senator Amidala's easy fall into General Skywalker's arms was any indication. 

“Cody, I _trusted_ you."

The words hit sharp and painful, but Cody pushed past them. Cody pulled off his glove, reaching for his General's neck.

He rested his palm against his General's neck, felt the warmth, both stronger and softer than the electricity from before, running through his entire being.

It felt _right_.

The betrayal in his General's eyes faded, something soft and warm—familiar, a look his General had given him countless times before, a sign that Cody had been right, that it was the Duchess who'd forced caused his General to keep Cody at arm's length—entering them.

"Cody, I don't—" his brows furrowed in confusion. "—I don't understand. What happened?“

"It doesn't matter, General. I've got you."

The confusion faded, an easy, familiar trust replacing it. The same trust his General had always given him. Cody could see the exhaustion overwhelming his General, his eyes fluttering closed.

Cody hushed him, letting him slip into unconsciousness. There were a few things that needed to be done, while his General was unconscious.

A few more messes that needed to be cleaned up.

Once his General woke up, things would be just as they should be, just as they should have _always_ been.

**Author's Note:**

> Obi-Wan's always going to be a little confused about what happened on Mandalore, his memories, altered by Sith Magic that took his mark with Satine, show that Maul killed Satine and when the soul bond broke a second soul bond was created with Cody (something similar happened to Padme, though she had less real affection for her memories to fall back on and instead a deeper loneliness and a desire to not be alone). Did Obi-Wan already care for Cody, yes? Did he love Cody that way? Well... he will.
> 
> Will Cody wonder how Palpatine knew about this Sith Magic and will that lead him to discovering Palpatine's plots and de-railing Order 66? Probably.


End file.
